This application relates to a gas turbine engine having an improved combustor liner panel for a combustor section of the gas turbine engine.
Gas turbine engines include numerous components that are exposed to high temperatures. Among these components are combustion chambers, exhaust nozzles, afterburner liners and heat exchangers. These components may surround a portion of a gas path that directs the combustion gases through the engine and are often constructed of heat tolerant materials.
For example, the combustor chamber of a combustor section of a gas turbine engine may be exposed to local gas temperatures that exceed 3,500° F. (1927° C.). The hotter the combustion and exhaust gases, the more efficient the operation of the jet engine becomes. Therefore, there is an incentive to raise the combustion exhaust gas temperatures of the gas turbine engine.
Combustor liner panels made from exotic metal alloys are known that can tolerate increased combustion exhaust gas temperatures. However, exotic metal alloys have not effectively and economically provided the performance requirements required by modern gas turbine engines. Additionally, metallic combustor liner panels must be cooled with a dedicated airflow bled from another system of the gas turbine engine, such as the compressor section. Disadvantageously, this may cause undesired reductions in fuel economy and engine efficiency.
Ceramic materials are also known that provide significant heat tolerance properties due to their high thermal stability. Combustor assemblies having ceramic combustor liner panels typically require a reduced amount of dedicated cooling air to be diverted from the combustion process for purposes of cooling the combustor liner panels. However, known ceramic combustor liner panels are not without their own drawbacks. Disadvantageously, integration of ceramic liner panels into a substantially metallic combustor assembly is difficult. In addition, differences in the rate of thermal expansion of the ceramic combustor liner panels and the metal components the liner panels are attached to may subject the liner panels to unacceptable high stresses and/or potential failure.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an improved ceramic combustor liner panel that is uncomplicated, lightweight, simple to incorporate into the combustor section, and that requires minimal cooling airflow.